A Ribble Valley councillor says the Whalley area came ‘perilously close to disaster’ with new flooding – when east Lancashire’s River Calder rose to the second-highest level since the Boxing Day floods of 2015.
Ged Mirfin, a Conservative county councillor, described problems in various parts of Whalley and Billington. And he is calling on local MPs to push for change on rules controlling Environment Agency funding for flood defences. He said the current system disadvantages smaller towns and villages.
He said: “This week, the River Calder at Whalley weir reached a level of 3.83 metres. To put this in perspective, this was the second highest ‘near miss’ the river has reached since Boxing Day 2015. It was 50cm above normal and 13cm above the level at which flooding occurs on low land, making ingress onto the garden of the bungalow just prior to the bridge in Whalley and leading to river water flowing down Calder Vale.
“We also saw problems for the first time on Lawsonsteads, where a manhole cover at the entrance to the estate blew due to pressure from Wiswell Brook, which over-ran. There were also problems on soak-away sites next to The Sands, with fields deep under water and the roadway blocked. That led to the fire brigade having to pump-out water, to reduce the threat of flooding to cottages and the church there.”
Some councillors and residents in the area, along with the Whalley and Billington Flood Action Group, have been calling for greater flood defences since bad flooding on Boxing Day in 2015 and then later in 2020.
Coun Mirfin said he and fellow-councillor Mark Hindle want the new MPs for the area, Jonathan Hinder and Maya Ellis, to urgently set up an all-party group at parliament to look at changing flood defence funding rules which, they say are imposed by the Treasury on the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency’s Carol Holt meets Jonathan Hinder MP in Whalley in late 2024
(Image: Jonathan Hinder)
Coun Mirfin added: “The rules need to be changed so small towns and villages like Whalley and Billington are no longer disadvantaged by larger urban places like Preston, Burnley and Padiham.
“Until you change the rules under there is virtually no prospect whatsoever of the very detailed flood defence scheme drawn up by Whalley and Billington Flood Action Group, led by Gillian Darbyshire and Andrew Ronnan, having a prayer of being implemented.
He emphasised: “It is not a case of if but when Whalley and Billington experience catastrophic flooding. We came perilously close to disaster this week. If Mr Hinder genuinely believes in change then I sincerely hope that he follows-up our suggestion and sets up an all-party group so that the Environment Agency is able to deliver the flood defences that Whalley and Billington urgently require – and we no longer have to look to the sky and pray for it to stop raining.”
The Environment Agency’s Carol Holt meets Jonathan Hinder MP in Whalley in late 2024
(Image: Jonathan Hinder)
Jonathan Hinder MP met the Environment Agency’s area director, Carol Holt, in late 2024 to discuss boosting flood defences in the area. He visited sites in Whalley and Billington, saw mitigation measures already there and discussed different options, including possible funding sources.
At the time, he said it was a constructive meeting, adding that many residents had spoken to him about their fears for future flooding. He was glad to put concerns directly to the Environment Agency and discuss possible solutions.
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